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EXCLUSIVE: Jose Mourinho out to strike deal that returns glory days to Chelsea
JOSE MOURINHO has told Roman Abramovich he only needs one big signing to make Chelsea great again.
Mourinho is set to be announced today as Chelsea’s new manager, nine years and one day after he first arrived at the club labelling himself the Special One, before taking them to back-to-back league titles.
He flew into London yesterday afternoon after his last game in charge of Real Madrid on Saturday night with a 4-2 win over Osasuna.
Chelsea have already signed Andre Schurrle for £30 million from Bayer Leverkusen.
Now Mourinho wants a striker. Fernando Torres or Demba Ba may well be sold to make room, with Romelu Lukaku returning from his successful loan spell with West Brom.
The top target is Fiorentina’s Stevan Jovetic, who would cost around £25m. But Chelsea face stiff competition for the 23-year-old from Arsenal and Juventus.
Abramovich has already seen one big target in Radamel Falcao slip through his fingers this summer, the Atletico Madrid striker joining Monaco.
Edinson Cavani, the Napoli striker, is rated too expensive at £52m, but Chelsea are still monitoring as he nears a move to Manchester City.
Chelsea have also spoken to Galatasaray about Turkish striker Burak Yilmaz.
Mourinho wants talks with Lukaku and another loanee, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, when he begins work with the squad next month, before deciding whether to allow them to go out on loan again.
He was last night finalising his four-year, £12m-a-year deal with Abramovich, which should be signed today.